This script is for exported scribbles and it converts the sqlite file into a file readable by applications. Currently (if I am not mistaken), the software on the device can only add the scribbles to an already existing pdf. It took me about three hours.

In other words one could use a blank PDF for taking notes and export that to .bmp/.jpg/.tif?
I guess the problem we would like to solve is more complex as the code should read the highlighted text record the position, copy the text and add a note to the document containing that text. This function should be an extension or a development of the Onyx native code. Would you be able to estimate what effort is required for that ?
Thanks
PF

In other words one could use a blank PDF for taking notes and export that to .bmp/.jpg/.tif?
I guess the problem we would like to solve is more complex as the code should read the highlighted text record the position, copy the text and add a note to the document containing that text. This function should be an extension or a development of the Onyx native code. Would you be able to estimate what effort is required for that ?
Thanks
PF

This should not be much more complex as long as the used PDF library supports it (which I assume). For someone who has the Onyx source code and knows it, it should be less than two hours of work.

I'm considering buying a M92 (or a tablet - depends on the annotation-capabilities in PDFs) within the next few weeks. I want to use the M92 for relaxed reading during a master thesis. But it is important for me, that highlighted text and annotations in PDFs are either stored within the PDFs and easily acessible, or in the case of export, that they are well organized/referenced for the continued work on the PC.

the scribblings are stored in the original PDF and can be exported
the highlighted text is stored in a separate text file.
As far as I remember you get a page number as reference for the highlighted text

the idea of the topic is dead now
we hope that Onyx will solve this last issue with storing the highlighted text in the original file

I'm wondering if merging annotations with pdf could be done with external software, and that on PC. Since Boox saves annotation page numbers (and these sadly are page numbers of pdf file itself, not the document), it could be possible to write a small script to convert annotations to fdf data and then merge them with original pdfs. On linux this appears quite trivial with pdftk (but I never tried this).

Sorry if this is a total noob question:
If exporting annotations is not possible, is it at least possible, that the user can highlight a word, or a sentence, append a name and a hyperlink to the location is being stored in a sorted list (named by chapter and/or page + name)? The most comfortable way would be, if this list could even be appended in the PDF itself.

Generally speaking, i don't understand, why the developers do not push hard to implement important functionality for academic reading. The main customer group for the big readers are students and academics and without that functionality many are almost forced to buy a tablet, although they would definately prefer buying an eReader if it would have at least some rudimentary capabilities for academic reading.

To me it seems it would make a huge difference in user acceptance, if a 10" e-ink device could be additionally advertised with such capabilities for academic reading, or even become famous for it's capabilities in the scene.
We are not talking about extremely complex and big programming projects. How much would it cost for the developer to hire a capable programmer for one month, to get academic reading implemented? And how much would that functionality boost the sales?

IMO the missing base functionality makes the whole 10" eReader concept extremely vulnerable: 10" tablets are availabe for as low as 200 EUR. One single tablet producer being clever enough to recognize the huge demand for a tablet that can be read in sunlight and replacing the LCD with a 10" E-Ink screen would be enough to destroy the whole business model.
There is still time for the developers to do their homework. But they need to act fast. The longer they do not fill this niche, the higher the probability becomes that another one will fill it.

I do not think that the above can be done in one month by a programmer. What are the grounds for you affirmation regarding this?
By my understanding you either use libraries or you write the program (PDF reader) from scratch.
In our case (M92) il looks like the programmers decided to use Adobe reader (not sure what version is this) and on top of that they use third party libraries to implement highlighting and scribbling. If these libraries do not have the functions you mentioned this is not going to happen soon.
We all want what you mentioned before but for some reasons the ereader producers do not see the situation like that. Most probably the 10" are mostly used for reading only not for academic purposes. A poll in that sense would be interesting..

I do not think that the above can be done in one month by a programmer. What are the grounds for you affirmation regarding this?

I'm not a professional prgrammer, but i have some knowledge in OOP (C++, JAVA) and C.
Bookmark functionality is no miracle. Adding coordinates for the first and last word/letter to it should also not be a miracle.

IMO the missing base functionality makes the whole 10" eReader concept extremely vulnerable: 10" tablets are availabe for as low as 200 EUR. One single tablet producer being clever enough to recognize the huge demand for a tablet that can be read in sunlight and replacing the LCD with a 10" E-Ink screen would be enough to destroy the whole business model.
There is still time for the developers to do their homework. But they need to act fast. The longer they do not fill this niche, the higher the probability becomes that another one will fill it.

That is more or less what I have been posting for months - only to be told my expectations were too high.
The companies right now operating in this segment, basically PB and Onyx don't seem to have enough money in their pockets. So they have to rely on unsuspecting customers who basically finance the operation - assuming the role normally taken by investors.
They have no idea about their customer base.
First and foremost they use their own brand of Linux which in my opinion is betting on the wrong horse.
Sony for example uses Android, their devices can be rooted and there is access to the most useful apps.
This way software development ist outsourced.
Unless something like a miracle happens we are looking at doomed devices - I am pretty sure others, with more capital and more ideas will enter the market soon.

What puzzles me is, that no big guy makes decent 10" ebook reader. Academics would tear their hands off, if there would be such a reader.

For the last two weeks i was intesively searching and i also do not have the impression, that there would be no market. Almost every dedicated eReader forum is full about the need for the possiblity of academic reading at 10".

All over the world people are storming the shop of Notion, the indian(!) producer of the Adam Ink. Although the software was not that good and stable and despite all quality and guarantee concerns, people were paying high premiums to get a worse tablet that finally was somehow readable in sunlight! And Pixel Qi is by far not as good as E-Ink...

Could it be that Amazon has recognized the demand for academic reading and therefore stopped the Kindle DX and will the next 10" reader from Amazon fill the niche the two competitors Onyx and PB seem not willing to fill?

It better not be Amzon....
We need some open source ...academic was always open source
Let's not forget the many open source apps that come for the academic world.
Not sure why Beryl does't like Onyx' Linux since the sources are published...
By my understanding developing third party apps is totally possible on Onyx so ..why is the OS a problem? I would rather say the popularity is a problem here and the portability the later being the huge advantage of the Android apps.

People are asking for 12" eink...that might be possible as a monitor rather than an ereader...but that is entirely another discussion...